Tractor steering mechanism



E. A. JUHNSTON AND .E J.v KANE.

TRACTOR STEERING M ECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. H, 1915'. 1,351,759, PatentedSept. 7, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I-:. A. JOHNSTON AND EI. KANE.

TRACTOR STEERING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED FEB. II, I9I5.

Patented Sept. 7, 1920.

Edina/Zd J/ane.

, nisms.

Unirse stares EDWARD A. JOHNSTON AND EDMUND J. KANE, MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF` NEW JERSEY. v

einen,

f TRACTOR STEERING rancHanIsr/I.

' .Application fnea February To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we,`EDwARD A. JOHN- sToN and EDMUND J'. KANE, citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of Chicago, inthe county of Cook and State of illinois, and of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State oflllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements' in Tractor Steering Mechanism,"of which the followingpis a full, clear, and exact specificaf tion. y i Y" This invention relates to tractors, and more particularly to tractor steering mechanism. l A. j

The objects of this invention are to sim'- plify andproperly support tractor vsteering mechanism, and v to simplify the raising, lowering` and locking means of said mecha- These objects arelaccomplished by 'providing the constructiondisclosedin' the accompanying sheets ,of drawings, in which;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of ya tractor embodying our invention l; andAv Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same tractor.

The` various novel featuresof our invention will be apparent 'from` the following description and drawings, and 'will be parf ticularlylsety forth in the appended claims.

Our inventionis here disclosed in connection with a tractor 10, having' side frame members 11, having raised vfront 'portions terminating in al Shaft support`12,^in the tubulanportion' 12ay of which is movably mounted a shaft 13.l Formed integrally with the lower end of the 'shaft 13 .is a fork member 14,' having openings through whichpasses a pin 15, whichV also passesV throughV a sleeve portion 16 ofthe member 17 mounted o n the front aXfle 18 of the tractor. The front axle 18 has' an eXtension 19, to which is pivotally connected the forwardly projecting frame 20of any` suitable automatic furrow pilot steerinoj device having a furrow pilot wheel 21. nounted on and l' secured' to the'upper end of the shaft ,13 is an arm 50 having lugs 51., Loosely mounted upon vthe 'same shaft 13,

adjacent the arm 50, is a yworm'gear 52hav-v ing lugs 53. Passing throughthe lugs` `51 fand, 53 are two rods 22 having heads'221at their ends and around which rods 22, inten -mediate the lugs 51 and 53, are'springs for cushioning any ars which otherwise specification of Letters ratent.- Patented Sept. 1920.

11,1915.v serial No. 7,469.'

might be transmitted to the worm gear onIcAGo, ILLINOIS, assreivoits, BY

Meshing with the worm gear 52 is a worm 24 loperatively connected to one end' ofl an operating shaft 25, having at its end anoperating handle 26v located atthe'rear offthe 'Y tractor near the operators seat 27. It' is seen that with this arrangement any steeringl vmovement transmitted fromthe oper`- ators handle to the front axle 18and the wheels'28 mounted thereon is yieldingly transmitted through the worin gearV 52, springs 23, 'and arm 50. Y

' .For supporting the automatic v furrow pilotv steering devi'ce,e'specially in a raised position, va bracket 29 is secured to a portion 30 vof' the arm 50, said bracket 29 eX- the furrow.: side of the tractor to 'a Vpoint overfthe frame 20. To properly brace the c bracket 29 and yto a projection 32 formed onV the 'front part of the fork member 14 of shaft 13. Secured to= opposite ends of tl e bracket 29 are pulleys-33 and 331, having guiding' housings'34f, therebeing a cable 35 passing lo'versaid pulleys and having one end connected to the? automatic' steering frame 20. rfhe-,otherend of the cable 35 Vis Y 'connected to a hook 36 pivotally 'mounted at l3T to ar lever member 38 pivoted in turn at to aV bracket 391 secured tothe engine crank casing 40.1An operating rod 41 isr pivotally connected at 42' to the lever 38, Y whereby the furrow pilot steering wheel and Vframe may be raisedandlowered, the lever withtl'ielever 38 `in'this position, as shown in dottedi'lines in Figl., the furrow/pilot wheel and its framewill Vbe Alocked in'r raisedposition, and that, as the lever is thrown vforwardly' from .the dotted line position, the pivotalipoint 37 will riseV above the lpivotal point 39, thereby liberating the furrow pilot wheel'and frame, the operator draws pilot wheel and its frame in a manner to permit them to fall by gravity. By means 'of this arrangement the steering mechanisml is simplified and properly supported, and

at the same time the raising and lowering and locking-means of such mechanism are improved. l Y

It is evident that there may be modifications of the invention as herein disclosed, and it is 'our intention to cover all such modifications which do not involve a departure lfrom the spirit and scope of our invention. What we vclaim as new is: Y

1. In tractor steering mechanism, an axle,

a-wheel thereon, Vfurrow pilot steering means connected Vthereto on the furrow side of the wheel, arotatable shaft operatively connected to said axle, and means connected to said shaft and rotatable therewith for supporting said furrow pilot steering means. I

2. In tractor steering mechanism, means including a shaft for transmitting a steering movement, means independent thereofv for automatically guiding a tractor, and means fastened to said lshaft Aand movable there-V.

with for supporting said guiding means.

In tractor steeringrmechanism, means including a rotatable shaft for transmitting a steering Vmovement, means independent thereof for automatically' guiding a tractor, a member connected to said shaft and mov- I vable therewith, and means cooperating with said member for raising said guiding means. 4.. In tractor steering mechanism, means including a rotatable shaft for. transmitting Y a .steering movement, means independent thereof for automatically guiding a tractor,

a member connected to said shaft and movable therewith, vmeans cooperating with said member for raising said` guiding means, and

' means whereby said'guiding means is locked therewith 'for invraised position. y s

5. In -tractor steering mechanism, means yincluding a rotatable shaftfor transmitting a steering movement, means for automatically guiding a tractor, and means including two'connected members extending from opposite ends ofsaid shaft and movable supporting ,said guiding means. Y

6. In tractor steering mechanism, an axle a wheel thereon, furrow pilot steering means connected to said axle, a shaft operatively connected tosaid axle, an arm connected. to

said shaft, a hand operated Vgear member loosely mounted on saidshaft and yieldingly connected tosaid arm, yanda supporting means for said' furrow pilot steering means `connected to said arm.

f 7 In tractor steering mechanism, an axle,

a wheel thereon, furrow pilot steering means connected to said axle,v a shaft operatively Vconnected to said axle, an arm connected to said shaft, a hand operated gearinember element.k

vloosely mounted on said shaft and yieldingly connected to said arm, a supportingfmember for said furrow pilot steering means connected to said arm, and means carried by said supporting member for raising said furrow pilot `steering means. n

8. In tractor steering mechanism, means including a shaft for transmitting ak steering movement, means independent thereof for automatically 'guiding a tractor, means fastened to vand rotatable with said shaft lever mechanism whereby the guiding means may be lockedl in a raised position.

9.`In tractor steering mechanism, means including a shaft for transmitting a steering movement, moans independent thereof for automatically guiding a tractor, a member connected to said shaft adapted 'to be maintained substantially over Athe automatic guiding means at all points in its swing,'and

means carried by said memberfor raising.

the automatic guiding means.

vfor supporting said guiding means, and a 10. In tractor steering mechanism, means including a shaft and a wheel for transmitting a steering 1no`vement, furrow guiding ymeans independent thereof for automaticallyguiding a tractor andloca'ted on the Y furrow side ofthe wheeha member vconnected to said shaft adapted to be maintained substantiall over the automatic guiding means at al points in its swing, and means carried by said member for raising the automatic guiding means.y f

11. In tractor steering mechanism, means including a ground wheel movable about: a vertical axis for steering saidtractor, automatic nsteering means associated with said wheel,- and meansswinging about a vertical axis and maintained substantially above 'the automatic steering means, said Swinging means having associated therewith :means adapted to raise the automatic means.

l2. In tractor 4steering mechanism, means Vincluding a ground 'wheel movable abouta vertical axis forsteering said tractor, automatic steeringfmeans associated with said wheel, and elevating mechanism for theau- `tomatic steering' means comprising an element maintained above said-automatic steering means and swinging therewith about the same vertical axis, and means attached toV the steering means and coacting with said 14. In tractor steering mechanism, means including a ground wheel movable about a vertical axis for steering said tractor, automatic steering means associated with said wheel, and elevating mechanism Jfor the steering means comprising an element maintained above said steering means and movable therewith about the same vertical axis, and a flexible member'attached to the steering means and coacting with said element.

l 15. In a tractor steering mechanism, means including a ground wheel movable about a vertical axis for steering said tractor,V automatic steering means associated with said wheel, and elevating mechanism for the steering means comprising an element maintained above said steering means and mov* able about the same vertical axis, a flexible rIn testimony whereoi:l we affix our signal tures, in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD A. JOHNSTON. EDMUND KANE.

Witnesses:

CHAs. L. BYRON, E. W. BURGEss. 

